The 161-foot bridge crosses the Passaic River and connects Morris and Essex Counties and links East Hanover and Roseland. Normally, the bridge carried between 20,000 and 25,000 vehicles daily over the Passaic River until it was closed on May 18 to undergo a four-month replacement project due to the advanced deterioration of the bridge superstructure.

“Eagle Rock Avenue provides an important link between our two communities and two counties and we are grateful that reconstruction of the bridge was completed ahead of schedule," Duthie expressed."We welcome the modern infrastructure and enhanced safety, and look forward to seeing our residents return to the regular routes they are used to traveling."

In 2012, the project was originally anticipated to be a twelve-month project; it was postponed due to replacement of a bridge on Route 10. The $2.2 million construction project cost was shared between Essex and Morris counties.

“Eagle Rock Avenue is a major thoroughfare and we are pleased to work with Morris County to modernize the bridge and complete the project three weeks ahead of schedule,” said DiVincenzo."Providing the most up to date infrastructure enhances the safety of our roadways, our residents’ quality of life, and promotes local economic activity."

For four months, drivers have dealt with a detour about five-miles long which directed traffic onto Eisenhower Parkway, Route 280 and Ridgedale Avenue. East Hanover Mayor Pannullo thanked the township residents and business owners for their patience throughout the construction project.

“All of us have been inconvenienced by this project," Panullo said, "however, public safety is always paramount. We needed to be sure of the safety of this span, which is truly a gateway into Morris County; replacing this bridge was the responsible thing to do.”

From left: Essex County Chief of Staff Phil Alagia who also serves as the Essex County Liaison to Fairfield, Fairfield Council Members Joseph Cifelli and John LaForge, Mayor James Gasparini, Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., Freeholder Patricia Sebold, Freeholder Vice President Brendan Gill, Fairfield Council President Thomas Morgan, Councilman Michael McGlynn, Joe Smith from Smith Sondy, Essex County Public Works Director and County Engineer Sanjeev Varghese and Essex County Project Manager Rasheed Yusef. Credit: Glen Frieson

FAIRFIELD, NJ - On Monday, Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr.announced that the repaving project to resurface 2.5 miles along Fairfield Road, from Route 46 to Passaic Avenue in Fairfield, is complete. The improvements included milling the old surface off the road, repairing broken curbing, improving handicapped ramps and crosswalk areas at intersections, laying new pavement and painting striping on the new surface.

2015 Essex County Roadway Resurfacing ProgramFairfield Road was included in the 2015 Essex County Roadway Resurfacing Program, part of the county's goal to enhance safety on the roads and the quality of life by modernizing infrastructure.

Other roads being modernized with the $5 million grant from the Annual Transportation Program are:

IrvingtonSpringfield Avenue from Becker Terrace to South 20th Street

LivingstonWalnut Street from Eisenhower Parkway to South Orange Avenue

South OrangeWyoming Avenue from Luddington Road to South Orange Avenue

"We apologize for any inconvenience the construction may cause, but the end result will improve our quality of life by making it easier and safer to travel through Essex County," DiVincenzo said. "Essex residents and motorists rely on our intricate network of roads to get to work, go to school and carry out their daily errands. My administration is committed to making sure our infrastructure is in the most modern condition so that our daily lives are not interrupted."

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) ProgramAdditionally, Essex County has resurfaced the following roads using a $1 million grant from the CDBG program and $500,000 from its Capital Budget:

BellevillePortions of Belleville Avenue from Washington Street to the Bloomfield border

Orange- High Street from Washington Street to Main Street - Main Street from Valley Road / Northfield Avenue to High Street

“On behalf of Fairfield, I would like to thank the County Executive for his cooperation and taking care of the needs of our community,” Fairfield Mayor James Gasparini said. “Whenever we ask, the Executive answers quickly and we appreciate that."

WEST ORANGE, NJ - A three-acre African SavannahGiraffe Exhibit is in the plans for Turtle Back Zoo. On July 15, Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced that the attraction will be the largest display at the zoo and will feature two types of giraffe subspecies along with other animals from Africa. The habitat will include areas where the public will be able to view the giraffes feeding and will also feature a climate-controlled barn which will house the giraffes during the winter months. Closed-circuit cameras will be installed in the barn so that the giraffes can be viewed on a video screen in the Zoo Café.

It is scheduled to open in the spring of 2016.

“We continually look for new ways to introduce more exotic animals to the public so Turtle Back Zoo can fulfill its mission of raising awareness about nature and the importance of animals," DiVincenzo said."Bringing giraffes to Essex County strengthens and diversifies our animal family, and provides an interesting exhibit that will excite and attract more visitors."

Credit: Glen Frieson

Following along with the Zoo's master plan, the giraffe exhibit is situated in the southern section of the zoo, behind the Animal Hospital and Train Station. The display is designed to house at least three giraffes and other animal species from Africa that are compatible with giraffes.

“It’s always a good day when you roll out a project like this," Turtle Back Zoo Director Brint Spencer said."In addition to the giraffes, this multi-species exhibit will feature antelope and ostrich. It will greatly enhance the African animals in our collection and expand our opportunities to fulfill our mission of education and conservation."

Known for their height and long necks, all giraffe typically grow to be about 16 to 18 feet tall. The Turtle Back exhibit will feature two types of the giraffe subspecies: Masai and Reticulated.

Credit: Muhammad Mahdi Karim

Masai GiraffeMasai, the largest subspecies of giraffes, are naturally found in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda, and are the tallest land mammals.

They have large, distinctive, dark brown, vine-leaf shaped, jagged spots which are interspersed by creamy-brown irregular lines and are noticeably darker in color than other types of giraffes.

Credit: "Girafe réticulée 1" by Snakes3yes

Reticulated GiraffeThe most commonly-scene giraffes in zoos, Reticulated Giraffes are naturally found in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. They are slightly shorter than the Masai, and have large red-brown blotches with a white web-like pattern dividing them.

“We at the Zoological Society are excited that giraffes are coming to the Zoo,” commented Zoological Society of New Jersey Executive Director Adam Kerins,"and that we will be involved in conservation and education efforts to sustain the species.Since 1999, wild giraffe populations have declined by about 40 percent. This new project will provide an arena for us to inspire advocates and tell the plight of these animals."

According to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation,less than 80,000 giraffes remain in African (down from 140,000 in 1999) and they are quickly becoming an endangered species. The Turtle Back Masai giraffes will be included in a breeding program sponsored by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to help bolster the species numbers.

Turtle Back Zoo is committed to providing an enriching recreational experience that fosters excellence in wildlife education and wildlife conservation. Formed in 1962 on a 15.5 acre section of the county’s South Mountain Reservation, the Zoo was designed by Tjark Reiss who created the exhibits based on Hans Christian Anderson’s nursery rhyme themes. The zoo opened on June 3, 1963 with a collection of 140 animals of 40 species and by ten years later the zoo’s animal collection had grown to 850 animals of 275 species. Since taking office in 2003, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo has spearheaded over $70 million in upgrades to the zoo. In September 2006, Turtle Back Zoo was granted accreditation by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. This distinct honor places Turtle Back Zoo among the elite zoos and aquaria of the United States and means that the zoo adheres to the highest standards for zoos in the country.

UPDATE: On Thursday, June 25, Essex County will again spray for mosquitos in the West Essex Area.

UPDATE: On Friday, June 19, Essex County will again spray for mosquitos in the West Essex Area.

Credit: Mark Randall / Sun Sentinel

WEST ESSEX, NJ - On Wednesday, the Essex County Mosquito Commissionwill be spraying for mosquito control throughout the West Essex area. Residents should be aware that at times, helicopters will be flying low over the area.

AreaThe spraying is expected to cover:

Caldwell

Essex Fells

Fairfield

Livingston

Millburn

North Caldwell

Roseland

West Caldwell

Essex County treats some sections of the county using helicopters because the area is too large to be effectively controlled from the ground. For areas where helicopters cannot approach, amphibious vehicles with truck-mounted sprays are used to treat the flood plain along with over 30,000 street basin water areas. The vehicles spray during the early hours and at dusk when mosquito activity is near its peak. In the cases where even a vehicle cannot approach, workers on foot use specially designed backpacks to manually spray the area.

NEW JERSEY TRANSIT

NJ Transit has made the following announcements regarding their normal schedule:

"Systemwide cross-honoring of NJ TRANSIT rail, bus and light rail passes will be in effect for Thursday, March 5, 2015 due to expected winter weather conditions. Access Link will have a delayed start statewide on March 5. All trips before 11 AM will be cancelled, customers may call 1-800-955-2321."

In her petition's description, Akersten explained that, during last year's Art on the Avenue, Caldwell Police had created a makeshift crosswalk at the corner of Bloomfield and Gould.

"The crosswalk was hugely successful, helping pedestrians cross safely at what is ordinarily a dangerous spot due to lack of streetlights and stop signs," Akersten wrote.

Google photos

"I reside nearby and constantly need to cross at thay very spot. This would make a huge difference, especially considering how much pedestrian traffic Cloverleaf gets late at night." ~ Catherine LaQuaglia

Akersten has been asking residents and business owners to sign her virtual petition so that the county creates the crosswalk. Anyone interested in signing the petition may do so ﻿online here﻿.

"I work right at this intersection and cringe sometimes when looking out the window watching people try and cross the street." ~ Greg Matthews

Phyllis Kent noted that the crosswalk is needed because the free municipal parking lot is located near the Gould Place and Bloomfield Avenue intersection.

"I'm signing because a crosswalk is needed due to the fact that the public parking lot is located across Bloomfield Avenue from the Cloverleaf Restaurant, a major food establishment in Caldwell." ~ Phyllis Kent